Christ, His Return and His Kingdom

By Odom Hawkins

The understandings of the coming of the kingdom are many and varied. Some teach that the kingdom was postponed because Jesus was slain and God's original plan had to be aborted. They expect the kingdom to come at His 2nd coming. Others teach that the kingdom was established at Pentecost. The questions in this book were designed to prompt one to reason on this subject.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Odom Hawkins
• Release date: Mar 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9780985617448

Book preview

Christ,

His Coming and His Kingdom

By Odom Hawkins

Published by Odom Hawkins at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Odom Hawkins

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

ISBN : 978-0-9856174-4-8

Table of Contents

Preface

His coming and the Kingdom of God

Matthew's account

Mark's account

The account of Luke

The record of John

The Acts of the Apostles

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus

The revelation

John was in the Kingdom

The letter to the Churches

The identity of Jesus

The original plan

The preaching of the Apostles

Inspired men wrote about the Kingdom

It's time to draw a conclusion

PREFACE

Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:1-3).

Jesus left no doubt in His teaching that He would return to receive those who faithfully follow Him.

"And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:9-11).

The two men in white apparel affirmed that Jesus would return from heaven just as His disciples had seen Him go into heaven.

"Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left His house, and gave authority to His servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore; for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly He finds you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, watch" (Mark 13:33-37).

Not only did Jesus give assurance that He would return, but He also gave a warning. Since no one can know the time of His coming, Jesus said that everybody should be watchful and ready at all times.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come (1 Cor. 11:26).

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of His death, but it is also a reminder that He will come again.

Most Bible scholars believe that Jesus will come again but many of those scholars don’t agree with other Bible scholars on what is in store for Christians when He does return. Some believe in the rapture of Christians while the sinners remain here. Others believe that there will be a general gathering of the living and the dead. There are also differences in their beliefs concerning the kingdom of God. Everyone needs to study these things for himself.

How many of us have been taught things about Jesus and never bothered to check in the Bible to see if what we were taught actually had its foundation in the Scriptures? Paul’s word to Timothy was, Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). He admonished Timothy to study for himself. People need to study for themselves because they must have their own personal faith: That faith comes from being acquainted with what the Scriptures teach. Paul wrote, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).

Even though Paul was an apostle of Christ, the people in Berea didn’t just take his word without studying for themselves. They checked him out by the Scriptures. Luke’s record of the people in Berea says, These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11). Whatever we have been taught, whether it is about the rapture, the kingdom, the resurrection, the judgment or any other subject; we need to "Search the Scriptures daily, whether